UPEI Faculty of Medicine reaches key accreditation milestone
The UPEI Faculty of Medicine has reached an important milestone in its development, achieving applicant status with the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS). This marks a significant step toward establishing an independently accredited MD program designed for and in Prince Edward Island.
The faculty continues to build on its valuable working relationship with Memorial University of Newfoundland. Through this collaboration, the Memorial regional campus model has enabled learners to begin their medical education in PEI, and the relationship is expected to evolve as UPEI progresses through the accreditation process.
Planning is also advancing across the full continuum of medical education, including post-graduate training. Over the coming year, UPEI will pursue accreditation through the Canadian Residency Accreditation Consortium at the institutional level and for a proposed PEI-based family medicine residency program, in coordination with partners Health PEI and Dalhousie University.
UPEI’s progress was recently highlighted at the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) 2026, where the Faculty of Medicine was warmly received as an applicant medical school, underscoring growing national interest in its collaborative model.
Faculty of Medicine representatives also contributed to the national conversation through presentations at ICAM 2026. Dr. Preston Smith, Dean, and Rebecca Gill, Director of Strategic Priorities and Policy Development, presented “From Vision to Integration: Mapping Medical Education into the Health System in Prince Edward Island Using a Collaborative Model.” Dr. Ron Siemans and Tammie Muise, respectively, Medical Director and Director of the Clinical Learning and Simulation Centre, also presented “Development of a Culture of Simulation-Based Education across Healthcare in PEI.”
“This work reflects a phased, collaborative approach to building a sustainable, locally grounded model of medical education that will support the future health of Islanders,” said Dr. Smith.
